Despite the "stat that tells the story" and Monday's chatter about the Red Wings' goaltending, we (as in you and me, Red Wings fans) find ourselves exactly where we were after Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Islanders as you, I and the Red Wings prepare for tonight and Thursday's really-really-really-close-to-must-win games against the Ottawa Senators (tonight at 7:30 PM EDT on FSD/TSN 5/RDS/97.1 FM) and Thursday's affair vs. the Boston Bruins:

The Red Wings sit three points ahead of the Boston Bruins, who come to town on Thursday and play the Florida Panthers this evening, and the Wings sit six points ahead of the Senators, and the Wings hold advantages in terms of wins and standings-tie-breaking Regulation-or-Overtime Wins.

Ottawa comes into tonight's game having dropped a 4-2 decision to the Florida Panthers and having dropped 3 straight games after a 7-game winning streak, but their March record is 10-3-and-2 as opposed to Detroit's 5-8-and-1.

It seems like the Rangers have been trying to solve this problem forever, and they can never quite find the right solution.

The power play has been close to a decade-long bugaboo for the Blueshirts, seemingly never a strength and always a source of frustration. If it has had its moments this season — which it has — right now, at the most critical time with the playoffs approaching, it has gone absolutely dormant.

“It’s not nearly good enough, without a doubt,” coach Alain Vigneault said after Sunday’s 0-for-5 performance over 7:21 of man-advantage time during a 5-2 loss to the Capitals at the Garden. “We’re going to take a look at some tape and make the adjustments we need to make.”

The race for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference is apparently over.

The Senators have lost.

At least, that's the message being delivered by the Boston Bruins, who late Monday afternoon gave notice on Twitter that tickets for the B's first round Stanley Cup playoff games go on sale Friday at 11 a.m.

With the Bruins holding a three-point edge on the Senators, and having played one more game, some of their fans were unimpressed.

As Paul noted, the Detroit News's Gregg Krupa penned an article about Gordie Howe's 87th birthday, which is tomorrow, and Krupa reports that the Howe family continue to take things "day by day" with their dad...

The first 7,500 fans entering Joe Louis Arena for the game at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday between the Red Wings and Senators will receive a bobble-head doll that commemorates Howe.

The family, friends and a caregiver went out for a birthday dinner last week, his son said. And, if his father is up to it, a barbecue or something similar might be on tap for today, down in Texas.

"We're just trying to treat every day as special," [Mark] Howe said, "not just because it's his birthday."

ROW, or regulation and overtime wins, is a statistic that doesn’t make much of an impact in the NHL standings except once, at the end of the NHL season, when it becomes the first tiebreaker for teams in the playoff hunt.

The drive to bring an NHL franchise to Las Vegas is entering a second phase with the league's blessing, prospective owner Bill Foley said Monday.

Although Foley would not discuss numbers with ESPN.com, several sources said the trial season ticket drive that had been green-lighted by the NHL late last year and began in early February had exceeded its original target of 10,000.

"We've done really, really well," Foley said.

Down payments on those tickets reflect grassroots buyers, individuals and small businesses throughout the Las Vegas area. Now, Foley is reaching out to larger corporations in Las Vegas, including major casino operations. Large banking institutions, telecommunications companies, food services operations and logistics enterprises like UPS or Federal Express also are in Foley's sights.

The group will continue to take down payments on season tickets from individuals even as they move into discussions with these larger entities, many of whom have already reached out to Foley and his group, he said. It's possible that along with the sale of suites, which are at about 750 seats, the ownership group that includes Foley and the Maloof family, former owners of the Palms casino and resort in Las Vegas and the NBA's Sacramento Kings, could top the 13,000 mark for season ticket deposits.

Finally, he acted this year and finds himself in the midst of a whirlwind, month-long tour of hockey across North America.

Suggitt, a self-professed hockey fanatic from Edmonton, is on a quest to visit 30 different NHL rinks in 30 consecutive nights. It is part bucket-list adventure and part charity fundraiser. It has also been an unforgettable experience.

"For me, it's going to be the memories of this trip," Suggitt said as he sat at the Prudential Center before a game Sunday night between the New Jersey Devils and the Anaheim Ducks. "Right now, they are just incredible. As I finish it, I'm going to remember this for the rest of my life."

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